Fence



(No Model.)

H. RICHWINE.

FENCE.

No. 380,457. Patented Apr. 3, 1888.

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ilNiTED STATES harass rarer...

HARVY RIGHYVINE, OF DORA, INDIANA.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,457. dated April 3, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Heavy RrcnWINE, of Dora, inthe county of Wabash and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the inveution,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it up pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in fences, and more particularly in means for looking together the rails and panels or sections of rails of a worm or zigzag fence.

Heretofore worm fences have been secured together by means of wires looped around the projecting ends or looks of the adjoining rails, the top rail being allowed to project laterally from the rest of the series, and the sections or panels are locked together by drawing around the top rail into the vertical plane of the rest of the series, and is held in position by one of the operators until the wire is looped around the projecting ends of the next panel; but this fence is inconvenient, troublesome, and costly, as it requires two or more operators-one to hold the locking-rail in position after thewire has been twisted to tighten the wire and lock the ends of the rails together, and another operator to loop the wire around the ends of the adjoining rails in which the free end of the locking or fastening rail falls.

The object of my invention is to provide a rail or worm fence which shall overcome the objections in fences heretoforein use, and which can be built or put up by one operator.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the combination of the binding or tightening wire bound around the rails at thepoints of intersection of the panels or sections and extending around the top and bottom rails and up along the angles on the opposite sides ofthe sections, with one of the intervening middle rails to form the looking or fastening rail, said rail having its end between the lengths of wire upon the opposite sides of the panels at approximately right angles to the plane of its panel and then brought around into its position in the vertical series of its panel, and being held in position therein by the weight of the rails of the next adjoining panel, thereby twistingand tightening the fastening-wires and drawing the top and bottom rails toward each other.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of several panels of my fence, showing the position of the locking or fastening rail before tightening the wire in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a top view showing the position of the parts as the wire is being placed around the rails, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the angle or turn at the junction of two panels.

In the drawings, the reference-letter A rep resents the several horizontal rails composing the panels of a worm or zigzag fence, the end of the rails resting upon the ends of the rails of the adjoining panel or section and projecting beyond the vertical plane of the same, thus forming angles at the intersection of the panels in the usual manner. A loop of wire or other flexible material, B, is passed around the adjoining ends of the fence panels or sections and extends upwardly in the angles upon both sides of the adjoining panels, and the ends of the wire are secured together, preferably, at the upper side of the top rail, as shown, and after the binding-wire has been secured in position it is twisted and tightened by a looking or 1ever rail, 0, formed by one of the intervening or middle rails of each panel, as hereinafter set forth.

In constructing the fence the rails are first placed upon one another with their ends alternately projecting in opposite directions, as is usual. The locking or fastening rail G-preferably the third rail from the top of each panel or section-is then brought around, so as to extend laterally from its panel or section at right angles. The tightening or locking wire B is then passed around the ends of the rails at the intersection of the sections of the panel, so as to pass up upon both sides of the fence, (see Fig. 2,) the end of the locking-rail extending between the wires on the opposite sides of the fence. After the looking or tightening wire has been placed in position the free end of the looking or fastening rail is swung around and placed beneath the free ends of the rails in the adjoining section. (See Fig. 1.) Thus it will be readily seen that the tightening-wire is twisted, as shown, which shortens the wire and firmly locks the ends of the rails against each other.

When the free end of the locking-rail is placed beneath the ends of the top rails in the next panel, it will be observed that the weight of said rails holds the locking-rail firmly in position without the assistance of asecond operator, as has been necessary heretofore.

The advantages of a fence built and constructed after the manner herein described and shown will be clearly evident to any practical person who has had experience in building fences of this class, for the great simplicity of the fence and the ease and economy with which it can be constructed makes it a greatimprovement over all other fences now on the market, and it will ready recommend itself to farmers and others, and will be a great saving to them even over the common worm fence built without any fastening at all except a wedge or crotch.

I am aware that five rails have been tied with a top rail, the wires running in the angle next the rails and formed thereby; but this I do not claim.

Having thus fully described my invention,

The combination, in a worm or zigzag fence,

of the binding or tightening wire bound around the rails at the points of intersection of the panels or sections and extending around the top and bottom rails and up along the angles on the opposite sides of the sections with one of the intervening middle rails to form the looking or fastening rail, said locking rail having one of its ends between the lengths of wire upon the opposite sides of the panels at approximately right angles to the plane of its panel, and then swung or forced around into its normal position in the vertical series of its panel, and being held in position therein by the weight of the rails of the next adjoining panel, thereby twisting and tightening the fastening-wire and drawing the top and bottom and all the rails toward each other, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARVY RIOHWINE.

Witnesses:

G. M. \VERLE, E. O. DUFFY. 

